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Wednesday, August 14, 2013

The
human condition is a complex interplay of many states or even ‘selves’, as it
were, each one blending with the other to produce thought, emotion, action, desire,
moods and everything else that puts us squarely at the top of the evolutionary
ladder.

But
underlying our ‘humanness’ is a physiological, biochemical, anatomical and
genetic matrix, where each aspect meshes with the others in ways scientists are
still trying to unravel.

Among
these ‘higher’ aspects of every human being is the mind, a powerful influencer
of our physiological state. Chronic,
repetitive mental patterns leave an impact on our brain and body’s biochemistry
just as much as the genetic and biochemical aspect of ourselves determine some
of our very basic mental, emotional and behavioural attributes.

Imagine,
for a moment, being able to tap into the energy where the physical and mental are
nothing but the same, and change not only your health but, who knows, even your
destiny? This is what homeopathy is capable of achieving. With a precise and
accurate assessment of your constitutional make-up and an insight into what has
made your constitution sick, a skilled homeopath cannot only heal you but puts
you on a life-sustaining, positive path that has limitless possibilities. This
is the ultimate state of balance to which most of us only aspire.

Sustaining
this balance and well-being is the vital force, a positive energy that keeps us
alive and kicking. However, sometimes, life’s struggles and conflicts prove too
much to bear, or one’s constitutional defences are too weak to help us work
though our emotional issues. When this happens, our vital force is sometimes twisted
and turned into an ‘ugly’ and ‘destructive’ state that classical homeopathy
calls the ‘Syphilitic Miasm’.

The
hallmark of this state is that one’s thoughts are so far out of balance that
they are ’out of control’. In this post, we shall discuss two extremes of
behaviour that are but opposite expressions of the Syphilitic Miasm – individuals
that are either very dull, listless and apathetic and have almost completely lost
interest in life (inertia) or individuals who have turned violent, erratic, volatile
and aggressive, and self-destructive or are a threat to other people.

Shalini,
a 29-year-old up-and-coming executive in a real estate firm, loved the good
life. She was bright, smart, personable and enjoyed going out with friends.
Only, she loved it a little too much. Almost every evening after work, Shalini
would hook up with her friends and paint the town red. They would meet at a
local café, discuss their plans for the evening and then hit the pubs.

Shalini’s
friends thought she was ‘cool’ and she, in turn, loved the attention she got.
She had to be the centre of attention and was jealous if anyone stole the limelight.
The problem is, every time Shalini was detained at work and had to cancel her
plans for the evening, she grew restless and ill-tempered. She felt compelled –
almost driven – to let her hair down every evening. It was like a drug and
there was little she could do about it.

There
came a point when Shalini started cutting corners at work, absenting and
slipping up on projects. She was pulled up on numerous occasions and was
potentially looking at a promising future going down the toilet.

But
that is not why she came to me. Shalini had developed a condition called lichen
planus, a skin disease characterised by lesions that are usually the result of
an autoimmune process.

The
young woman’s skin disease was the result of an emotional complex, where she was
constantly compared with her elder sister, who was smarter and more intelligent.
When she was a child, she resented all the attention her sister received and
vowed she would turn out to look better and earn more than her sister, when she
grew up.

This
was the root of Shalini’s physical disease. When her drive to prove she was
‘better than her sister’ spun out of control, Shalini developed a destructive
skin disease that mirrored the destructive (out of control) nature of her thought
processes.

Then
there was 19-year-old Ankur. Instead of a young collegian who should have been
exploding with energy, I was looking at a dull teenager staring blankly at me. Virtually
expressionless, Ankur had no inclination to speak, and paused for several
seconds before he answered each question I asked him. It looked like the life
had been vacuumed out of him, leaving only a disembodied shell.

His
mother said Ankur was once a happy-go-lucky kid, who loved school and excelled
in football. He was once affectionate, sensitive, sincere, and in many ways, a
model son. His mother said that after his father developed terminal liver
disease seven months ago, Ankur had started becoming withdrawn. The sudden
shock was devastating and had pushed the boy beyond the boundaries of his
normal psychological defences.

Then,
a couple of weeks before Ankur came to my clinic, the youngster had developed convulsions
and would sometimes fall unconscious. He also couldn’t sleep at night. This had
prompted Ankur’s mother to bring him to me. At the root of the teenager’s
physical illness was the inability to absorb the devastating shock of his
father’s death.

And
finally, there’s Shehnaaz (see videobelow), who came to me with complaints
of rheumatoid arthritis. Shehnaaz had begun to experience pain in her joints
about four years before she came to my clinic. Like Ankur, she too was dull and
listless and experienced no interest in her surroundings.

The
36-year-old had had a hard life fraught with problems with her husband. She had
to raise three children but was constrained by serious financial difficulties. Shehnaaz
was once a ‘strong’ woman but the emotional burden had slowly chipped away at
her will and whittled her down. Unable to bear the stress any more, Shehnaaz’s mind
simply shut down and she grew completely insensitive.

Her
destructive energy had turned inward and Shehnaaz developed rheumatoid
arthritis. I didn’t need any further clues to her state of mind but the young
woman did tell me she felt she had nothing to live for. She said there was only
one choice left – to take her own life.

When
they came to my clinic, Shalini, Ankur and Shahnaaz were all constitutionally
sick. Their clinical conditions – lichen planus, convulsions and rheumatoid
arthritis – were bodily manifestations of the same Syphilitic Miasm.

The
ultimate expression of this Miasmatic state is death either through extreme
inertia or through self-destruction. Correspondingly, we are speaking of two
diametrically opposite personalities, who are actually two sides of the same
coin.

Let’s
take a look at how this destructive state can be recognised.

Looks: Interestingly, an individual in the
Syphilitic Miasm can be easily identified through their looks and behaviour. In
either extreme, the Syphilitic Miasm is ‘ugly’, repels and is distorted.
Accordingly, a Syphilitic face exhibits sharp features that are ‘not quite
right’ just like Jayesh’s (see slideshowbelow).On the other hand,Syphilitic
inertia can be identified from its dull and apathetic look, just like Rajesh’s
(see slideshow below). Individuals are
indifferent to their surroundings are unwilling speak or respond. They look
despondent and despairing.

Behaviour: What types of behaviour do these
individuals typically exhibit?

·Out of control emotions – hysteria, hypochondriasis

·Mania, insanity

·Sexual perversions

·Suicidal, homicidal tendencies

·Cruelty (rape, murder)

·Homosexuality

·Moral afflictions – anti-social, criminal disposition

·Loss of interest in life / to achieve or work

·Complete hopelessness and despair

I would like to emphasise that the
root cause of disease is almost always emotional, which is why the symptoms one
develops mirrors one’s emotional conflicts and the defences one uses to deal
with them.
Therefore, understanding the patient’s mind provides a clear window to their
disease and, by extension, to curing their affliction and relieving them of
their suffering.

While
assessing a case, there are many clues I gather from simply observing my
patients, regardless of the content of their case history. These clues come
from the patient’s appearance, facial expression, demeanour, body language,
peculiar gestures and the like. These are the most ‘honest’ clues a patient can
offer, for they are unconscious and are not subject to manipulation. Taken
together with the case history, they provide a composite picture of the
patient, which is essential to assessment and accurate prescribing.

Re-awaken the healer in you...

- Dr Anita Salunkhe, MD

MindHeal Homeopathy is an ISO-certified
clinic based in Chembur, Mumbai. Call us on: 022-25230530 / +91-9930363981 or write tocrm@mindheal.com. Website: www.mindheal.org.
We are happy to answer all your queries. Online Consultation via Skype also available